Futures
by Korenan
Summary: 1000 years after the First Hero of Time, Hyrule is in a semi-modern stage. The princess of the kingdom has run from home, and now a Lord from long ago rises again. --A never to be finished story idea. Basically a one shot but more pointless.--


**Futures**

_Chapter 1: Blood_

_It was long ago, when the Evil King Ganondorf Dragmire attempted to take over the beautiful land of Hyrule for the first time, an event now known as the First Dark War. It is passed down in legend that the Hero of Time traveled through the flow of time and defeated Ganondorf, then returned to his own to prevent the king from ever entering Hyrule. It was very brutal. With the help of the Hero, who was very young at the time and the princess of the land, Ganondorf was exposed by the first Hyrulian Masters, seven warriors including the hero and his princess who banded together and captured the Gerudo King, sentencing the dark lord to the Sages' divine judgment. _

_The Hero of Time then left Hyrule to search for a lost friend in another land. He was away for roughly a year, with many more adventures and heroic deeds behind his back. Along these journeys, he came upon a great demon that rivaled the Gerudo King's power, possibly even surpassing it. The powerful and godlike being was known as Majora. After many trials, the Hero called upon a similar power used by Majora, and transformed into a fierce deity, allowing him to succeed in subduing the demon's wrath. The mask that held the now sleeping monster was given to good hands, and the Hero left the land. Upon his return to Hyrule, he had the Hyrulian Masters disbanded, and led a peaceful life until the end of his days._

_It is then said that after a hundred years or so, Ganondorf returned after somehow escaping his own execution long ago, and almost blanketed the kingdom in blackness from another world, causing the almost apocalyptic event known as the Second Dark War. He would have succeeded, if not for the descendant of the first Hero of Time, who sought out the other descendants of the Hyrulian Masters, and ended the lord of darkness once and for all. _

_This, however, is common legend, something that you could probably find on the Internet, in books, or on the scrolls in Hyrule Castle. It was all very long ago, and now, things are different. The land of Hyrule has not been threatened in hundreds of years, and in a global sense, the land was at peace…_

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The breezes were cool and refreshing. Kakariko City was alive with happiness, the Gorons all down from Death Mountain to celebrate the birthday of the first King of Hyrule, born so long ago no one can even remember the date. The streets were bursting with vendors and carts, shop windows filled with objects to help with the celebrating.

There was a café on the corner of Renado Avenue, usually filled with many people from all around the country, yet today it was almost empty. A couple of busty Gerudo girls were leaning on the finely crafted wooden counter of the old style café when the door jingled. The cold winter air flowed in as two figures walked into the small room. There was a boy and a girl, both Hylians and around the age of 18. The older Gerudo tending the counter blinked when they came in, and smiled at them. The blond boy smiled back, and took a seat at a booth in the back. The young Gerudo pair was awestruck by their appearance. Both wore black tuxedoes, hands in their pockets. The girl walked across the tiled floor grinning to the counter.

"Telma, we need a two hot chocolates, pronto!" She said happily, leaning on her elbows against the counter.

"Right away, _princess_." Telma teased, as she walked over to the machines to get their order.

"Quiet. I will spill your blood if you call me that again." The girl threatened, a violent look on her face.

One of shocked Gerudo pair then noticed she had her hand on the hilt of a long, bejeweled blade, sheathed on her waist with an identical one on her other hip.

"Right, right. You wouldn't dare. Where else would you get your oh so special hot cocoa?" Telma teased again, and the young woman gave a defeated expression.

"She got you there, Zel!" They heard the boy calling from the corner booth, a happy grin on his face.

"Quiet, Link!" Zelda yelled back at him, her fist slamming on the table. Link slithered into his seat, his pointed ears limp. Zelda sighed, then noticed that the Gerudo pair was staring at her.

"Zelda…? Princess Zelda?" One of them questioned. Zelda made no movements whatsoever, her expression blank, "Didn't you see, your father put up a 2,000,000 rupee reward for finding you since you ran away! We'll be rich!" They were in joy for only a moment, until they froze when they realized the Princess of Hyrule had her cool blades to their necks. They began to tremble, eyes filled with rising fear. Zelda's face was now filled with seriousness.

"Listen up," She said, her tone filled with ice, "You will tell no one of our meeting, correct?"

They nodded slowly, and proceeded to leave the café very quickly. Link chuckled from the back of the building, and lied down on the booth, closing his eyes.

Telma sighed, and gave Zelda the cups, "Honey, you need to stop scaring away my customers." She leaned on the table, Zelda smiling at her, "I'd bet you're the reason I'm losing business. Couldn't you just cut your excessively long hair, _instead _of pointing a sword at everyone who recognizes you?"

"Sorry, it's sort of habit now." She bowed slightly, then put one steaming cup down on the glass top of the table, paid her friend, thanked her, then went over to her table.

"Ah…kids these days…" Telma sighed, tallying her sales, an act she found much displeasure in doing.

Zelda sat across from Link, and slid one cup over to him. He opened one eye, looked at her, then the cup, and smiled warmly at her. She grinned back at him, then took a sip of her cocoa, still smiling.

"Best damn hot chocolate in the whole kingdom." She said, eyes closed, savoring the flavor.

"I'll have to agree with you, it's quite simply amazing." He said, paused, then yelled over at an annoyed Telma, "Hey Telma, how do you do it, anyway?"

"Secret recipe." She yelled back over at them cheerfully, but not looking up from her work.

"Well, now that we've drank from our yummyness, how about spilling the beans on that new dream of yours Zel?" He got up, and sat properly, arms crossed on the wooden tabletop. He was quite concerned, and Zelda knew it, letting out another heavy sigh.

"Well," She began, relaxing herself in her seat, closing her eyes, "It was last night. I swear a woke up scared half to death, thinking it was real."

"You serious?" Link said, sipping his cup, "I wish I could have been there to help." His voice went low as he said this, noticing her face was bright red, but she smiled at him.

"Thank you. Really, thanks Link." Her face was soft, completely different from her usual strong attitude. She realized this, and tried to get back on topic.

"W-Well, back to the dream." She stuttered, looking down at the table. "It was terrifying. We were there, with five others in a deadly battle. Hyrule was in flames, everyone dead." Her voice was very low, Link paying great attention, "I-It was horrible. There was death, pain, but something odd about it all. My first thoughts when I awoke were of the Evil King from long ago, Ganondorf Dragmire, yet…he wasn't there." She looked up at him, and noticed he was quite puzzled. "I know what your thinking. It's odd. All that, and no evil king. I saw nothing but the pain, not the one who caused it."

Link put his hand on his chin. Zelda smiled at him, but he didn't notice. He was so cute when he did that. He looked so concentrated and strong…She had to force herself to stop thinking, and hit herself lightly on the side of the head.

"Well, I suppose we shouldn't ponder on it too much…"

"Link." She spoke quickly, now looking at him, "You know my family line has some voodoo shit for dream visions, so I really think we should take this seriously."

"I guess your right on that." He said to her, his hands back in his pockets. They were quiet for a minute, and Link looked around, thinking on what close friend had just told him. She was quiet too, likely concentrating on the same subject. He went over everything he had heard from her. The pain, the fires, the five others…

"Say, Zel?" Link asked her.

"Hmmm?"

"Did you mange to catch the faces of the others with us in the dream?"

"Hmmm…I didn't think of that…" She pondered. She slumped in her seat, pondering on the thought. Link waited patiently for her memory to come back to her, and tried to keep his mind busy. But being the male teenager he was, his adolescent head eventually wondered. The first thing he thought was, holy shit, Zelda was gorgeous. He stopped himself after that, gave up on it, and tried not to think altogether, but the damn hormones got to him. He went red, and looked down on the table, battling to keep his mind blank.

"Link, you okay?" Zelda asked, frowning "You look sick."

She leaned over onto the table, and Link couldn't help but notice as her breasts went with her. He went even redder, and she put her hand on his forehead out of concern.

That certainly didn't help the situation.

They stayed like that a few moments, before quickly retracting from one another, both red with embarrassment.

"Are you two discussing seriously, or just flirting with each other over there?" Telma called over at them, happy to be done with her paperwork.

They both glared at her, but she just chuckled.

"Well, I think we should let this sit for now," Link suggested, still fighting mentally with his body.

"I agree, let's go. We have work." She said as they sat up, tossed their paper cups in the trash at the corner of the room and headed over to the counter. Telma smiled as they approached.

"Time for business?" She inquired, reaching under the table and bringing up some tattered brown papers.

Link sighed, "I guess. It's sad that we've stooped to brining in baddies to pay for our stay."

"I suppose, and hey that rhymes" Zelda added, "But what else do you suggest we do? There's a lot of money to be made bringing in those who have skipped their trials, you know."

"I'm aware of that. But it's police business, and a couple of kids in tuxedoes doesn't exactly threaten a criminal too much."

"Ah, but you admit my idea of Tuxes works slightly, even if so little where it was a useless idea."

"I suppose…"

"Here we are!" Telma declared, "A real job for you two!"

They looked at her, curious. Zelda had picked up a chocolate stick of some kind and was nibbling it.

"Well…that's going to cost you, you know." Telma said, annoyed, and Zelda's ears drooped.

"You were saying?" Link asked.

"Ah, yes, here we go." She handed them a finely printed paper, with details on a criminal, "Amazing, isn't it?"

Link and Zelda stared, amazed at what they say.

"D-Does that really say 4,000,000 rupees!?" Zelda sputtered, eyes wide and focused on the paper.

"Yup. Apparently she stole a mask of some sort. Pretty creepy looking if I do say so." Telma handed them a picture of the item stolen. It was as she described it, creepy as hell. It was a purple, heart-shaped mask with big yellow eyes on it and again yellow spikes coming out the bottom and top like horns, as well as red markings all over the ugly thing.

"Wow. How'd she get it? Looks rare." Link asked her, looking up from the paper.

"Hence the reward. Her name's unknown, but she's a 5'7" tall, sleek and muscular Gerudo with long, red hair in a ponytail. Camera's caught her escaping from the strangest place. An abandoned old asylum over by the Lake Hylia area. The Hylian Guard only revealed it was there on the news because she stole it. I'm sure she knew exactly what she was looking for."

"Where is she now?"

"She fled west, but we don't know where or how far. Considering this is only a few days old, she could even be here in the city by now. Heck, that would be a good idea. Hiding in a festival crowd would be genius.

"Well damn. This might be a bit tough. Think we can handle it, Link?" Zelda asked, looking up at him.

He grinned at her, an immediate, 'hell yeah'.

"Alright, then, go up into your room and get your blade and anything else we might need, then let's go!" She patted him on the back, and Link jumped over the counter and ran up the stairs behind it. Telma was pissed, turned, and yelled after him.

"Damn it, Link! Use the fucking door-thing next time!" She bellowed after him. She sighed, and muttered, "Kids…"

"Yeah, yeah, but we have to earn our stay here somehow, right?" Zelda asked her.

"I suppose. But can't you just be something less violent? Like work in a shop or restaurant like every other teenager, instead of risking your lives to haul in major dough on the rare criminals or the more common thief who didn't show up for his court hearing?"

"You kidding? I would go insane working in a shop, it would be boring as hell! That's why I ran away from the castle! IT WAS _BORING._ No fun at all, I swear. I don't know how I survived my first thirteen years. Then…I met Link. And you know the rest, that time he sneaked me out of the castle after we met, I never wanted to go back. It's so much fun out here, and so incredibly boring in there." She was leaning on the counter now, ranting away, "Then I eventually snapped, and when Link snuck in to see me seven months ago, I asked him to get me out of there. And now, here we are."

"So the princess was saved from the keep by her knight in shining armor, and they lived happily ever after." Telma said, as she dried her personal mug.

"Quiet, old lady." Zelda said flustered, eyes on the ceiling, her face bright red.

"Hey, harsh." Telma muttered, "But you do love him, you know. Even if you won't admit it yourself. And he loves you, so why the hell haven't you two admitted to each other yet?" She asked the cornered Zelda.

"W-Well…I…" She murmured.

"You don't have it in you to tell him?"

"Maybe…I just…" She glanced out the door, and her eyes widened with horror. Thank the goddesses the door was locked. Reporters for the papers had pictoboxes, notepads, and the whole nine yards right outside the window. "Fuck." Zelda said blatantly.

"Ooooh…that can't be good." Telma said.

"No _shit_. Link and I are going out the roof window, they don't know we're staying here, so say nothing. Make something up. We'll be back later tonight, but only If the mob is gone."

"Good luck honey." Telma said, drying another mug.

"Thanks."

Zelda turned to the window, reporters and people after her reward trying to pick the lock, others banging on the window. She flipped them off, then rushed up the stairs. Telma rolled her green eyes, then went back to cleaning dishes. People were yelling for her to open up, but she just pointed at the 'closed' sign on the door.

Link was choosing from his wall of swords when Zelda burst into his small room at the end of the hallway and opened the window to the roofs.

"What's up?" He asked her.

"The mob found me, those Gerudo girls must have squealed."

"Well damn. We gotta go. What weapon should I take?"

"Doesn't matter, they'll be in here in a few seconds." She said as she ran back to her room to get some supplies. She looked around frantically, from her bed to her closet, then starting throwing things everywhere and began to curse. She noticed her bed, and looked under its small, wooden frame and found her bag. She grabbed it and rushed back to Link's room.

"What's in the bag?" Link asked as he took a massive Biggoron's Sword off the wall, as well as a smaller one-handed blade he got in Ordon a while back.

"Emergency money I've been saving. Let's go."

"Right."

They jumped out the window and onto the rooftops. Zelda closed it, and they began to dash across the red tiled roofs. The streets were busy below them, and it seemed as if no one noticed they had made their getaway. The two Hylians were running down blocks and toward Kakariko Gorge outside the city when Link spoke.

"So, we going back to Telma's later?"

"Only if there's no one else there."

"And say, did you happen to remember the faces of the other five from your dream? Sorry if it's a bad time to ask."

"Argh, sorry, but I can't recall." She said gloomily.

"Hey," He said, panting, "It's okay, you'll remember." He reassured her, and she smiled at him. Link then quickly pulled a small, orange ocarina from his pocket and began playing a soft tune.

"Who you calling?"

"Ashei." He replied. "I need to see if her and Shad can meet us outside the city." As he finished his sentence, a small armored bird flew next to him as he ran. He pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his other pocket and gave it to the bird. "Take this to Ashei, understand?" He asked, and the bird flew off into the distance.

"To help with the mask stealing person?"

"Yeah. We'll meet up with them, then hunt for any leads and search the entire city. Like we usually do."

"Good idea." Zelda said, smiling as she looked ahead. They were close to the last houses in the city, and Zelda could smell the green air flowing just beyond the massive town gates.

"Are you going to buy them fancy tuxedoes to match ours?" He asked

"Only if they want 'em." She said playfully.

The duo jumped down from the rooftops and onto the busy streets, not making much noise at all when they landed. The two refugees ducked into an alley, and looked around for anyone with a pictobox or looked like a reporter.

Nobody. That was good. Very good.

They walked casually from the alleyway, Link almost tripping over a loose brick as they went. Zelda instinctively looked back at him to check if he was okay. The pavement was cold outside the alley, and they kept their faces emotionless to avoid attention. Zelda let her head turn to look up at Link, and saw he was searching the crowds for anyone who might rush towards them. His left hand was on the hilt of the Ordonian blade sheathed on his waist. They did get some stares, considering their clothing and the fact that Link had a massive sword slung over his shoulder.

They approached the iron gates decorated with Triforce symbols on the points. The iron cage doors were open, and many people were coming and going as Link and Zelda went through. The air cleared, and Zel felt the usual breeze of the Kakariko Gorge area. The stiffness of the air left as they walked onto a dirt road that led off into the many areas of Hyrule. Zelda looked up at Link.

The orange bird met them outside the gates, and landed on Link's shoulder with a note in its beak. He took the paper, read it, and gave the bird a piece of fine bread from the satchel dangling at his waist. The bird grabbed the chunk and flew off, while Link put the paper in his right pocket.

"They coming?" Zelda asked him curiously.

"Yeah, Ashei said they'll be here within ten minutes."

"Good. Let's wait over there. She pointed over to a large fountain to the right of the city gates by some trees. They sat down on a bench looking at the beautifully crafted piece of art. A couple of Zora kids were playing in the water, their mother telling them to get out. The grass was fresh and alive, birds chirping in the trees. The sun was in the center of the sky, and Link and Zelda could still hear the sounds of people coming and going from the city. A few of the people even had carriages or wagons with their kids screaming to be let out. There were a lot of nice horses, too. Link had always wanted one.

"Argh, they're still not here." Zelda complained, crossing her arms as the minutes went by.

"Give them time. It won't be long, promise." He said happily, glancing over at her. She kept her expression blank, trying not to think on the absolute hotness of her friend. They leaning back into their bench, and Link closed his eyes.

A couple of guys around their age came out of the city and walked over to the fountain. Zelda noticed them talking about the things they stole at the fair. Small time, she thought. The two talked happily, then boy with long purple hair and pale skin noticed them. He walked over to the two, followed by the other boy, who was also quite pale, but had Link-style black hair and bright red eyes, and was wearing a black sweatshirt and tight jeans.

"Hey." The purple haired one said.

Zelda ignored him, and leaned on Link's shoulder. He smiled.

"Hey, you, blond guy." The boy one said again.

"C'mon, Vaati. It's not worth it." The red eyed one told him, obviously bored with the situation.

"Hey!" Vaati yelled at Link, who had now opened his eyes and was glaring at him.

"You need something?" Link said, annoyed.

"Yeah, I was wondering where you got your girl. She's might nice. Hey, I got an idea. How about you let me take her for a ride?" He grinned.

Link looked up at him with a disgusted face. "Fuck off, purpley." He snarled. Zelda was astonished at his action, different from his usual lax attitude, but was red as she realized he was trying to defend her.

"Hey, hey…I just want your girl in bed, how about it? She's got _fine_ curves…" He chuckled, then was cut off. Link smiled as Zelda roundhouse kicked Vaati to the head, causing him fly backward and sprawl on the ground.

"Vaati!" The red eyed one yelled, then drew a foot long knife from his hoodie, "Hey, that wasn't cool." He said angrily at the relaxed Zelda, who was standing in front of him with her hands in her pockets, smiling.

"That felt good." She said smoothly.

"Excellent form." Link said cheerfully, lightly clapping for her.

Vaati got up, and stood by the one with the knife. "Bitch!" He hissed at her. "You will die! She's got to feel some pain, Dark!" He said as the two rushed Zelda, who just calmly stood there, face blank. They approached quickly, but not quick enough. Zelda flexed, and proceeded to dodge Vaati's stabs and punch him square in the face. He fell, and Dark came up from behind her. She elbowed him in the forehead as he ran at her, knocking him out.

The wannabe tough guys lay sprawled on the ground, Zelda with her hands in her pockets again, smiling over her shoulder at Link. He grinned back at her, then stood up and walked over to her. The other people around the fountain stared. Some of them even got up and left. A few Gorons in the corner were clapping for her.

"Hey…" He said. You think they might have some information? They re thieves after all." He asked her, looking down at the two unconscious boys.

"It's possible. Let's tie them to the tree over there," She pointed at the one a few meters from the fountain, "And wait for Ashei and Shad to get here."

"Sounds good." He replied, then added, "I didn't know you could kick that high up. Nice."

She blushed a little, "Thanks. It was good exercise." She stretched, causing Link to go crimson at the sight of her.

They got the two thieves tied to the tree, then sat on the edge of the fountain and waited for their friends to arrive. A couple more onlookers stared and left, but the didn't care.

An hour passed.

"Well, crap. Why aren't they here yet?" Zelda asked, lying on the grass. The sun was still high in the sky, but beginning to droop as time went along. People were still going in and out of Kakariko, a lot of the visitors from Castle Town to the east. There were some Humans from the Ordona Province to the South, but not many. The human race wasn't too common in Hyrule, unlike a few of the neighboring countries.

A couple more Gorons walked by Zelda and Link, sitting down in the grass about eight meters away from them up against the cliff behind the fountain.

"Say, Link," Zelda said, bored.

"What's up?"

"Have you ever seen a female Goron?" She asked curiously, looking up at him from the soft grass.

He though for a moment, then looked quite puzzled. "Nope." He said. "That's very odd." He put his hand up to his mouth. Zelda went a little red. So cute… She thought. "So, if there's only male Gorons, how the hell has their race not died out?"

"I dunno. Maybe they're all asexual."

"That's a little more than I would have liked to think about." He said, obviously weirded out.

"Ah, well. That's not the strangest. Try the Zoras. They're fucking _fish_ for crying out loud. Do they lay eggs in massive numbers or something?" She got up, and plopped down next to him on the fountain edge, continuing the discussion.

"I don't know. And hey, remember all those old tales of a race from long ago made up of kids that never aged? How did _that_ ever work?" Link asked.

Zelda just shrugged. "The goddesses have weird fantasies."

Link laughed. "Guess so."

-------

The breeze blew on, across the fields and through the mountains, until it reached the stunning lake in the center of the land. Lake Hylia. A beautiful place, a town of ten thousand built along the shores. The streets were cool, pavement quiet, no sounds except the winds washing over the desolate city.

Peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Well, peaceful if you were there now, however…

"A brilliant bloodbath. You are such a fun vessel, you know." The voice ran chillingly through the Gerudo known as Nabooru's spine.

"Fuck you. Fuck you to all hell. You _will_ die for this."

"Who, me? What did I do? You killed them all. I just watched." The young Gerudo of 23 could tell the demon was teasing her.

It was a rather creepy conversation, after all, she was talking to a mask.

A mask that by all reasons should have been destroyed by then. Nabooru sat in horror, on looking the city she had just massacred against her will. She didn't do it. The mask did. That damn purple mask with the yellow spines did it. Her mind was racing with fear and regret. She just sat on the roof of the clock tower, the sun starting to lower, giving the pools of blood scattered all across the town an eerie glow.

"You killed them. Not me."

"Your hands killed them, girl. Not mine. I was just acting as an influence."

Nabooru stood up, looking down on the roof where the mask lay. It was all too clear to her. She had broken into the asylum to steal the mask of pain, said to be worth millions of rupees. She had to do it. Her tribe in the Gerudo Desert was counting on her to bring back the money so they could survive.

Not anymore.

She could never go back.

The mask.

The mask.

She had picked it up, and it latched to her face and took her body. She couldn't see, but knew it was controlling her. The next thing she knew, she heard screams from all around her and blood was splashing on her clothing. Her jeans were soaked with blood, her white shirt obviously stained with death. She had never been so horrified before.

"Scared, girl?" The demon lord of the mask asked her, "I can hear you screaming on the inside. You didn't do it. You didn't kill them. Well guess what, you did, and now, your body is mine. All mine. I've been locked away for 1000 years, passed from person to person after my 'death' by the hands of the Hero of Time." The mask was shaking now, and then floated into the air. Nabooru just stared, stuck in place by the fact that this mask, this object that obviously had stolen her away, would kill her on the inside until it had it's fill.

Which, was not likely to be quick.

The purple mask hovered, the deep yellow eyes staring her down, fear and pain welling up inside her muscular tan body. She shook, head to toe, as the mask latched onto her face once again, and she lost consciousness.

Zelda looked at the stars. The air chilling her to the bone. It was night in Hyrule Field, and Ashei and Shad hadn't shown up yet. She wondered what could have happened. Zel still sat on the marble edge of the fountain, Link with his head on her lap, sleeping. Nothing stirred. The occasional owl or wolf was all to be picked up from the soundless wind blowing gracefully through her chestnut hair. Link was sleeping peacefully, which was good, she thought, looking down on him.

She wanted to touch his face, but forced herself not to, in fear of him waking up. It was quite hard to resist. He was beautiful. Amazing, and everything she wanted. As long as she had him, all was okay. He was her soul, her life. Damn it Telma, you were right, she thought. I do love him, so much I could die. And right then, she desperately hoped he felt the same way.

She gazed longingly into the distance, hoping for her friends to come over the green hills to them. Her gazing was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. There were two people opening the gates to the city, both much older than she was. Both were men, one maybe thirty and the other likely ancient. Zelda made no movements as they spoke quickly, walking quickly down the road towards the east.

"…It's very serious. Hylia Town is in ruins, all it's inhabitants killed…" She froze when she heard the old man's voice. Hylia Town…? Destroyed, what the?

"There we're no witnesses, the blood on the ground could have been there for days!" The younger man said, his voice slightly panicky.

"Be calm Rusl, let's go and check it out for ourselves, then make conclusions."

"Right."

Who were those two!? She thought as they walked down the path by lantern light. Zelda was now waking Link.

"W-Wha…? Zelda, what's wrong?"

"Apparently Hylia Town is destroyed, we _have_ to check this out!" She whispered, pointing after the two men.

"What about Ashei and Shad? And those two?" Link asked, looking at Vaati and Dark tied to the tree.

"This may lead us to our friends, and as for those two, let's leave 'em. We can always come back." Link nodded at her and grabbed his swords. They got up and quietly snuck after the two, preparing themselves for the worst.

---------

"The King of Hyrule. Ah, last I saw one of you was _so_ long ago…" The masked Gerudo woman spoke to the king, standing on the corpses of the failed Hylian Guards. She poked one of them with a long but thin sword, caked in the blood of the dead men she stood upon. The king looked at her from his throne, chills running rampant around his old body.

"Who are you…?"

"That is none of your concern, old man. I'm just here to cause a little _mischief_…" He could tell the girl was grinning under the mask, it's malevolent yellow eyes boring fiercely into his psyche. He stood, and drew his blade from his side, and pointed it at the tanned girl.

"Whoever you are, your actions must be paid for."

"Wait." She said, her voice chilled. "You actually intend to _try and hurt me!?_" She was giggling now, but broke out into a full-blown howl. She laughed until her lungs were sore, her head back, hand on the mask's forehead.

Sweat rolled slowly down the man's face, then he closed his eyes. He ignored the demon's shrill of laughter, and thought of his family. His wife, his people, and his darling girl Zelda. Too bad, he thought. She would have made a good king. He smiled, warm at heart.

The Gerudo looked back at him, the asked, "Oye, old man. What's so funny?"

He said nothing, still grinning, his old age showing through his white beard. Then he charged. Foolish. Stupid. Sheer instinct. He charged the girl, blade in hand in attempt to kill the monster. She did nothing as he ran at her, piercing the girl's left breast. She looked at the wound, then the king, eyes likely horrified. Warm, crimson blood flowed majestically from her body. She went limp, and her frame slumped to the floor on top of the guard's bodies, blood pooling, glistening in the firelight around them.

The king sighed, sheathed his blade, and turned toward his throne.

"That's it?" The angelic, yet ice cold voice called from behind him, "That's all you got? No more?" Its voice paralyzed him. It was hypnotic. Mystical. He was unable to move. His limbs were shaking. He didn't want to turn. He knew he would die. He couldn't' do it.

He turned to face her, fists clenched with pure amazement and fear. The body of the girl was still on the floor, yet the mask was off. Her face was covered in blood, scarred tissue that once belonged to her on the space around her. It was truly grotesque. The king flinched when he noticed the mask was floating in front of him. The spines on its purple edges wiggling like tentacles.

"You're mean. You killed my host." The same angelic voice echoed through the room. He knew it came from the mask itself, but it seemed to fill the entire room. Then the mask shined. The lines detailing it outlined with pure purple light.

The king cringed at the sight, and put his hand over his eyes to block it.

Then something exploded.

He felt an intense raise in heat around him, and opened his eyes. The castle was ablaze. He heard screams and shouts from all over, people calling for help, guards trying and failing to help them. Walls burned red with fire, his old ears could hear the castle coming apart around him.

His eyes wandered frantically, then petrified on the sight in front of him.

A woman.

A woman with purple skin markings all over her body, only missing her head, revealing a very pale skin color. Her long, silver-purple hair flowed, seeming to control the fire around it. He could not stop gazing. Her beautiful naked body didn't even budge in the heat. She was thin yet muscular, a blood red spiked marking flowing from her neckline to between her legs.

He noticed her hands were clawed, and was brought back to reality. He drew his blade once again, and held it directly at her soft forehead. The she moved. Well, sighed. Her body moved elegantly, even if it was only very slightly. The she opened those malicious, yellow cat eyes, and stared at him, smiling. Her face was dear, warm to the heart, and her smile only sent him further into his trace, as much as he tried to repel it. She sauntered toward him slowly.

Truly a goddess in human form. He couldn't breath. The walls of the castle were beginning to crack, yet he took no notice. He could only stare at the godly form moving toward him.

"Foolish man." She said, holding the no longer wiggling mask in her left hand, "You tried so hard, yet you failed." Her beatific voice was intoxicating him, eating away at his warm soul with cool beauty.

She put her hands on his wrinkled old face, his terrified eyes locked on hers. She pulled him close to her, melting him into her body. He felt her seductive curves, and then sputtered, trying to speak.

"W-Who…a-are you?" His voice cracked, barely a wheeze.

"Stupid." She whispered into his shaking ear, "You know who I am. You're just in a state of denial." He said nothing, eyes still locked to where she once stood before him. Her face was very close to his ear, whispering. "Fine, you old fool. I'll tell you who I am," She paused, "I am the Goddess of Mischief, banished by Nayru of Wisdom, Din of Power, and Farore of Courage from the Golden Land long ago and sealed within my mask. I was passed down from hand to hand over thousands of years. Not a good way to live, let me tell you. I mean, I like traveling, but...that's too much." She paused again, breathing cool air into his ear, "I am forbidden. I am feared. I am wanted_. I am Majora_." She grinned as she said it, her seemingly innocent face smug.

The old king's eyes widened, total fear of the knowledge that all was lost. It couldn't get any worse.

"And guess what," She breathed, "I'm going to kill your daughter Zelda, and spill her blood in front of what remains of your kingdom when I'm through with it."

The rumbling of the castle increased heavily, rocks and other debris falling from the high ceiling. The flames took the two, the demon embracing the old slayer as the castle shook violently for a few long moments that could have lasted ages, then gave up on them and imploded into nothingness.

The dark sky was lit ablaze as the fires reached the heavens. Most of the city was soon engulfed along with it, as if the flame swallowed it up like a beast from the fiery pits of the underworld. Ear piercing cries lasted about an hour, until everything was silent aside from the dying fire. The blackness around the arms of the blaze seemed to speak death to all those who gazed at it.

"Link…I'm scared. I know it's sappy and cliché, but I'm really fucking scared right now." Zelda cried, her trembling arms around him, face buried in his dirty tux.

"I'm here Zel. I'm here." He said softly, then looked up at the sky around Hyrule Castle from where they stood on the Great Bridge of Hylia. The horizon was on fire, and he swore he could hear the angelic laugh of a goddess rising from the ashes.

"Link. My parents…I mean…t-they…" Zelda sputtered, sobs dispelling her hurt voice. She cried long and hard, the flames dying down very slowly. Link looked down at her.

"Zelda." He said warmly. "I'm really really sorry about this. I swear to you on my life, we'll-"

"_NO!_" She shouted in his face, looking up at him, eyes red and tears still streaking down her cheeks, "_Don't you __**dare **__die on me! It would kill me, Link!! You just can't!"_

"Zel, it was an expression-" He said, trying to calm her down.

"_Screw expressions! Don't ever say that! I can't live without you! You are my life! Oh, fuck it, I love you god damn it! I love you with every piece of who I am!"_

Then she kissed him hard on the mouth, melting into his build, locking her lips to his while still crying. He didn't move. She continued to embrace him, with all the passion she could muster up. It was a few moments that seemed like forever that mated with eternity before Link put his arms around her quickly and kissed her back. The two were locked in place, the burning haze roaring behind them off to the Northeast. The brilliant light casting a long and dark shadow from where they stood, locked in their own world.

They parted, only for a moment, allowing Link to speak softly, "I love you too Zel. More than you can imagine. I'm pretty sure I've loved you since the days when we first met." He whispered warmly. She smiled at him, pressing herself back into his shape, their shadows dancing. Link pulled back for a moment, noticing the girl he loved was slightly smiling.

"I'm still dead inside because of what happened, but you revived me once again." She sighed, and Link put his warm forehead to hers. She looked up at him, eyes curious.

"What do you need, Zel? I promise I can help." He smiled down at her, and she grinned back mischievously.

"We need somewhere to stay, and a room to ourselves. I have some ideas I'm sure you'll like." She paused, and then he caught what she meant.

"I think we do." He agreed.

"And we can supply that." A man's voice said from behind them. They both whirled around, Zelda still holding on tightly to her newfound lover.

"And you are…?" Link asked, voice hardened.

"I am Auru." The large framed man of around fifty told them. He stood about 5 paces from them, arms crossed, and wearing what appeared to be a tan and dark blue battle suit. His hair was short and grey with a light beard, and he was Hylian.

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, the hellfire behind them still roaring with fury, smoke billowing into the air. Her eyes were suspicious, but Link reassured her by squeezing her tightly to him. She was very appreciative of that.

"I have a cottage just north of this bridge. My partner and I were inspecting the recently devastated Hylia Town, only to discover you following us."

Zelda reacted instinctively, asking the first thing that came to mind. "We're there any survivors!?"

"Two, yes. I will explain all I can soon, but first we need to get going. Come along, and hurry now." He turned and walked off across the bridge in the Northern direction.

"Shall we?" Link asked Zel, looking down at her. "We could use some rest."

"Alright, but no matter what he tells us, we're sleeping in our own room."

Link smiled at this, and then bent down and kissed her again, this time only slightly. "You're gorgeous against the fire in the distance, you know that?" He told her, and she went red.

"HEY! HURRY UP!" Auru called to them, already way ahead.

Zelda smiled at Link, then they ran after him, holding hands. Zelda knew that her father was dead. She knew someone was likely trying to destroy Hyrule, and she knew that it's possible Ashei and Shad were in deep trouble, but she could help but quietly push that aside and think of the guy she was holding hands with as they ran, feeling the warmth of his hand flow into her.

She loved him. He had given her freedom, and she had fallen for him. And he had fallen for her. Nothing else mattered right then, because her whole world was running with her, holding her hand.


End file.
